1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to kits and shelving systems to store work tools, equipment and supplies in a motor vehicle and plastic shelves for use therein.
2. Background Art
Many workers use specialized tools and equipment in performing their daily tasks. Because many job sites are away from the job shop, any tools and equipment needed must be transported to the job site. A worker typically requires a vehicle large enough to accommodate the tools, equipment and supplies required at the job site. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a problem associated with such vehicles is that there is typically not a huge amount of space in such vehicles. Electricians, telephone repairers, cable installers, and plumbers must carry an assortment of tools, fasteners, pipes and other supplies to be adequately prepared to complete a job or service call. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to have a vehicle with storage areas for tools, supplies and equipment so that a worker can efficiently transport the required items to the job site.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,191,436; 6,189,945 and 5,498,048 disclose various apparatus, adjustable shelves and cabinets for use in motor vehicles.
Many of the storage units known in the art are steel units that include steel end panels, a back panel and steel shelving, as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows a welded wire shelving system. The shelves of these storage units are essentially tray structures having a bottom and four sides extending perpendicular from and perpendicular to the bottom. The shelves are fitted between the two end panels adjacent the back panel to provide a storage unit. The shelves are held in position by connecting the shelves directly to each of the end panels and the back panel. The shelves may be held in position by welding the sides of the shelves to the end panels and the back panel or by mechanical fasteners connecting the shelves to each of the end and back panels through the sides of the shelves.
There are several disadvantages associated with these known storage units. Storage units known in the art are essentially as-is structures that are not easily reconfigurable or adjustable. It may be advantageous or even necessary for a worker to house an item in the vehicle for which no space currently exists. Therefore, it would be beneficial for the worker to be able to reconfigure the storage system in his vehicle by moving, adding or removing shelving, drawers, etc. Shelves that are welded to the end and back panels are not removable (or, at least, no easily removed). In the storage unit described above, shelves or drawers are connected to both back panels and the end panels and therefore cannot be adjusted or reconfigured without either completely removing the unit from the vehicle or unmounting the end panels and back panel.
Additionally, several disadvantages are associated with the all steel construction of the storage units. First, the all steel construction may create a noisy environment. When empty, the steel units are prone to rattling during the operation of the vehicle. The noise level may be increased when the units are filled with various equipment including metal tools or parts. Second, the all steel units can be rather heavy, and the added weight to a vehicle may increase fuel consumption for operation of the vehicle and increase the cost to operate the vehicle.
Published U.S. patent application 2007/0069542 seeks to solve many of the above noted problems by providing an adjustable storage system including one or more adjustable storage units. The storage units generally comprise opposing panels comprising a polymer material and one or more shelf support means that are integral with the panels. Shelves and/or drawers, also made from polymer materials, may then be disposed between the panels. The shelves appear to be blow molded. Storage units may be added to the storage system by adding additional panels. In some embodiments, adjacent storage units of a storage unit may share a panel. The storage system is generally illustrated in FIGS. 4-6.
Some problems associated with the storage system of FIGS. 4-6 is that the load rating of a polymer shelf may not be able to withstand a particular load. In this case, additional supports are provided in enclosed areas on the undersurface of the shelf, as indicated in FIG. 5. However, this adds additional cost and weight to the system as well as taking away valuable storage space from the system due to the increased thickness of each shelf.
Due to increasing federal environmental regulations and decreasing availability of landfill space, there is increased interest in recycling post-consumer products such as vehicle interior trim panels. Unfortunately, many conventional vehicle interior articles are formed from non-recyclable materials such as thermosetting resins, which cannot be re-melted and reused.
Thus, there is a need for recyclable vehicle interior articles that have durable, tough surfaces, that are impervious to water and most chemicals, and that are designed to be scratch and mar resistant. In addition, there is a need for recyclable vehicle interior articles that can reduce external noises (e.g., road noise, engine noise, vibrations, etc.), as well as noises emanating from within passenger compartments, while also being lightweight and low in cost. U.S. Pat. No. 6,710,133 discloses a vehicle interior article including a layer of recyclable polymeric material.
One type of recyclable, lightweight, high-strength, composite material or article comprises a “honeycombed” cellular core positioned between two thermoplastic skins reinforced with glass and polypropylene. Polypropylene is highly regarded for its heat and chemical resistance as well as for its ability to withstand wear and tear. The thermoplastic skins, tough and meltable for reuse, have a degree of elasticity between 5 and 20 GPa, depending on fiber content and orientation. The composite article typically ranges in thickness between 5 and 30 mm. Its weight ranges from 1700 to 6000 g/m2, depending on skin and core materials.
In contrast to more conventional thermoset resin composites, thermoplastics used in the composite article provide greater robustness due to their tougher matrix. They also offer enhanced formability and functional integration, consist of less expensive raw materials and can be processed faster. Also, living hinges (i.e., U.S. published application 2005/0189674) and deep draw shapes (i.e., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,682,675; 6,682,676; 6,790,026; and 6,981,863) can be made with the composite article while maintaining structural integrity.
Via thermocompression, production is a one-step process that takes approximately one minute (i.e., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,050,630 and 6,537,413). Simultaneous exposure to heat and pressure changes the “sandwich” to a thermoplastic composite, yielding high-strength-to-weight and high-stiffness-to-weight properties as well as a finished product that is highly resistant to heat, impact and corrosion.
Applications for such thermoplastic composite materials or articles include pallets (i.e., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,655,299; 6,748,876; and 6,823,803), vehicle load floors (i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 6,843,525), under-engine fairings (U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,577), inner roof panels (U.S. Pat. No. 6,890,023), trunk panels, backrests, aerodynamic skid plates, spare wheel pans, and front and rear vehicle bumpers.
One way to make the interior plastic cellular core or honeycomb part is to make the core from a plurality of small co-extruded tubes bonded to each other along their sides (i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,782). The small tubes have a base body made of a thermoplastic and which, at least on the outside, preferably on the outside and on the inside, carries a coating made of an adhesively-active thermoplastic material. As a result of this coating, a bonding of the small honeycomb tubes to each other as well as to a cover layer is possible.
Another way to make a plastic cellular or honeycomb part is to make the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic honeycomb in a continuous manner one half cell at a time by laying down a corrugated web of thermoplastic, with and without fiber-reinforcement atop a honeycomb, selectively fusing the node-antinode demes and repeating the process until a honeycomb of the desired depth is prepared (i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,596).
Yet still another way to make a plastic cellular or honeycomb part is to injection mold the honeycomb part in plastic (U.S. published application Nos. 2002/0043747 and 2004/0241383).